New I-9 Form and Immigration Enforcement

The I-9 Form for Employment Eligibility Verification is in the news.

First, the Immigration Services announced that the revised Form I-9 will be published on Nov. 22, 2016. This is sooner than the January 2017 date previously announced. Although employers may continue to use the current Form I-9 (dated 03/08/2013) through Jan. 21, 2017, the new I-9 form must be used by all employers by January 22, 2017.

Mark your calendar for November 22 to check the USCIS website for the revised I-9 Form.

Note – Employers should continue to retain and store previously completed forms for existing and former employees in accordance with existing guidelines. Click here to refresh your knowledge of these guidelines.

Secondly, after the election of the new President, many expect immigration reforms to top the agenda of the Trump administration. Kim Thompson, attorney, and chair of the law firm Fisher Phillips Global Immigration Practice Group expects a ramp-up in workplace enforcement actions regarding immigration. This includes I-9 audits and raids by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Note – Candidate Trump promised that he would mandate E-Verify to check the employment eligibility of all workers in the country if elected. Currently, only federal contractors are required to use E-verify. This requirement could be extended to a larger group of employers.